Yong Wu has opened an omakase outpost in downtown Redwood City, after a decade spent on the Bay’s high-end omakase sushi restaurant scene.
The restaurant is named Sushi Ai — Ai means love in Chinese and Japanese.
As a college student, Wu worked as a part-time server at San Bruno’s Sushi House, which was owned by a friend’s family. One day when the kitchen was short-staffed, he got his chance to help and quickly decided sushi, not engineering, was his future. Since then, he’s worked at the now-shuttered V16 in the Mission, followed by Kusakabe and Ju-Ni, where he met his now-business partner, Nick Chan began to work together. Chan is now chef and part-owner at Sushi Ai.
What sets Sushi Ai apart is Wu’s emphasis on dry-aging process, he says. Fish is sourced from Japan’s Toyosu Fish Market, then much of it is dry-aged, a process that creates more umami flavor and a more buttery texture.
Sushi Ai’s prix fixe tasting menu ($175) features a wide selection of dry-aged sushi dishes. Among the highlights is mikandai or mandarin orange snapper, which has been fed orange peel and has a citrus aroma, and braised ankimo, a monkfish liver delicacy known as foie gras of the sea. Also popular: the zuke chu toro, soy-cured medium fatty tuna, whose preparation was inspired by Wu’s mentors at Kusakabe.
The restaurant, which opened Jan. 16, is small and accommodates a maximum of 13 people per seating.
Details: Open 5:30-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday at 2432 Broadway, Redwood City; sushiai-rwc.com.